"Darkspawn look comical": Dragon Age: The Veilguard's new Darkspawn design is "very intentional," but fans of the RPG series aren't sold on it quite yet
Sep. 4, 2024There’s a reason they’re “different than before”
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
It’s no secret thatDragon Age: The Veilguardlooks a bit different than the series' past entries, from the companions to enemies like the Darkspawn - butBioWaresays there’s a reason for some of these aesthetic changes.
The newDragon Agegame features abold new tone- one that has sparked controversy since the RPG’s reveal trailer debuted two months ago. Fans have called the art style “cartoony,” criticizingBioWarefor moving too far away from the reputation as a dark fantasy series that Dragon Age holds. One element affected by The Veilguard’s changed visuals came under fire for being too different more than others did, though - the Darkspawn.
Speaking in a recent deep dive into gameplay withIGN, BioWare explains why Darkspawn look that way in The Veilguard. “You may notice something about the Darkspawn, too. They look a little bit different than they have previously and a part of that is because Ghilan’nain, who has always been focused on using the Blight as essentially a crafting material, a way to alter life itself, has been enhancing and changing the Darkspawn as part of her army.”
Director Corinne Busche confirms the same later on in the video: “[The Darkspawn] look a little bit different than before and that’s very intentional. Ghilan’nain, the god of monsters - she uses Blight like a medium to sculpt and warp the Darkspawn to do her bidding, to suit her purposes.” Despite this official explanation from BioWare, not all fans are convinced. One comment expressing as much says the “Darkspawn look comical.”
A separate thread onRedditregarding the gameplay reveal highlights similar thoughts. “Still not a fan of the Darkspawn redesign,” reads one. Another implies that the reason developers felt the need to explain the new look is because of the controversy surrounding it: “It’s funny how they mentioned Darkspawn design three times during this showcase, it’s like they know people don’t like it and they need to explain it.”
Dragon Age: The Veilguard introduces one cool feature that’s guaranteed to save time for ardent BioWare people-pleasers
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she’s not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she’s probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she’s spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you’ll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s big bad isn’t bald due to hereditary hair loss, his age, or a stylistic choice: “Solas lost hair because of stress”
Dragon Age: The Veilguard directors say they would’ve loved to explore “what lies beyond the sea” and add new classes in the DLC we’re never getting
Todd Howard “rolled his eyes” at the idea of Troy Baker playing Indiana Jones in the Great Circle, but the Bethesda boss later told him “you’re doing a hell of a job”
